• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

E26 auto bilge pump

stobias

"Alibi"
I would like to install an electric bilge pump in my '87 E26, along with a float switch. Can anyone tell me how it was done at the factory? What kind of pump (self priming, remote or centrifigal), location, routing of hoses and location of overboard fitting? I am hoping to not have to cut alot of holes in the webbing. I had one in my old E28 years ago, but I can't remember the layout.
 

Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
Fitting a bilge pump to the sump of an E26.

Dear friend, Our previous boat was a 1979 E25+ powered with a 10HP outboard, essentially the same boat as yours but for the fact that yours might be an inboard diesel. Our boat did not come from the factory with a bilge pump and as time passed and I didn't install one, I came to see that there really wasn't any need for one. The mast is stepped on the deck, so no water ingress there, all the seacocks and hose fittings were sound and there was virtually no other way for water to get into the bilge, thus I never installed one. That said, there would be miniscule amounts of water in the shallow bilge that I'd simply wick out with one of those largish, brick-sided sponges from time to time. The chap who bought her from us immediately fitted a pump, probably one of the most annoying ones I could ever imagine. It had some sort of solid state timer as a part of it that would cycle the pump on every 3 minutes(??) and when not sensing the presence of water, shut down after five seconds or so. Well, as there was never any water in there enough to do more than coat the bottom of the bilge with dampness, one was left with listening to this stupid thing going on and off all the time during meals, conversations and the like, it made me crazy to visit on his boat. My advise would be to staunch any leaks from rain or sea water like a prop shaft, and don't fit one at all. Believe me, the limited space of 4" to 5" tall if that in your bilge dictates that only a small capacity pump would fit in there anyway. Besides, any bilge pump is not designed to prevent a boat from sinking in the event of a catastrophic calamity, it's just there to be able to keep the bilge more or less dry. Hope this helps in your decision making. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA
 

SurabyaKid

Member III
I have an '88 E26. The arrangement is that the boat has three separate bilges all connected by hose. The deepest is the stern bilge and that is where my Rule self priming bilge pump is located. The float switch is mounted in the center bilge about 1/3rd from the bottom. The inlet for the factory installed Whale Gusher is also in the center bilge. Both bilge pumps discharge overboard from separate stern through hulls located at about the same height as the cockpit scuppers.

I agree with Glyn about the boat being generally dry, but I do occasionally get about a quarter of an inch in the stern bilge after a really heavy rain (like the recent Noreasters 5 inch dump). Most of the time I use a foam sponge to get the water out as it is not enough volume for either pump. I think my Icebox does drain to the bilge, so this could be a significant source of bilge water.

Pat
 
Last edited:
Top